YouTube will allow creators to monetize coronavirus videos—with a few exceptions

YouTube has once again changed its policies on coronavirus content.

The Google-owned video giant announced on Thursday that creators in its partner program "can now monetize COVID-19 related content.”

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YouTube deemed the coronavirus a “sensitive topic” in early March. It sometimes does that to protect brands from having their ads shown next to videos about disturbing events, like school shootings.

However, YouTube made the decision before the pandemic fully hit the U.S. When it became clearer that this would be an all-encompassing story affecting everyone’s daily lives, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki announced in mid-March that it was going to allow some creators and news channels to monetize coronavirus content.

Now, YouTube is changing course again. This time it’s opening the topic to all YouTubers who have been approved for monetization in general.

Like all other monetized content, though, YouTubers who create coronavirus content will need to adhere to the company’s Community and Ad friendly guidelines.

According to YouTube it will show a limited number or even no advertisements on content that contains “distressing footage,” for example videos that contain people “visibly suffering” from COVID-19.

The platform will also extend these ad policies to coronavirus-related pranks and challenges, such as creators licking toilet seats, coughing or sneezing on bystanders, or trying to scare people into thinking they are sick with the coronavirus.

YouTube also specified that it will demonetize content containing medical misinformation. The platform defines this content as “false/unsubstantiated claims about the cause, promotion of dangerous remedies or cures, origin or spread of COVID-19 that contradict scientific consensus.”

Videos claiming that governments or corporations created the virus as a bioweapon or that it's spread via 5G technology fall under this category. It also includes content that says COVID-19 is targeting certain ethnic groups and videos that claim the pandemic is a “hoax, cover-up or deliberate attack.”

The platform has long struggled with potentially dangerous and harmful conspiracy theories and misinformation.

Along with its monetization guidelines, YouTube recommends some best practices when creating coronavirus-related content. The company urges creators to fact-check their work and “be sensitive” to the crisis affecting people around the world.

It’s good that YouTube opened up these monetization policies so creators who create good and helpful work can be rewarded for their efforts.

However, maybe it's time for YouTube to take another look at what sort of content — monetized or not — is even allowed on the platform to begin with.